Protective covering for feet or hands



Nov. 10, 1953 J. J. HILTON PROTECTIVE COVERING FOR FEET OR HANDS Filed April 26, 1951 /A/:/EN7'02: JOYCE J H/LTo/v,

F777 reA/E Patented Nov. 10, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Joyce J. Hilton, St. Louis, Mo.

Application April 26, 1951, Serial No. 223,047

4 Claims.

The present invention relates generally to the medical dressing art, and more particularly to a novel moisture-proof protective covering for a foot or hand.

It is well known to those familiar with the medical dressin art that in treating certain types of infections and diseases of feet and hands, it is desirable to keep the medicaments in constant contact with the affected member. This usually presents a problem because most medicaments quickly soak through cloth bandages so as to soil and stain external surfaces such as bedding, clothes or the like.

It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a novel protective covering for a foot or hand which will completely enclose the member and prevent the medicaments thereon from coming in contact with the external surfaces as above indicated.

More particularly, it is an object to provide a simple protective covering which can be used for providing a moisture-proof covering for either a foot or a hand, and which does not require any special clips or snaps for maintaining it in position.

Another object is to provid a moisture-proof protective covering which can be constantly reused and which can be easily and quickly cleansed by washing in mild soap suds, or with an alcohol sponge.

Other objects are to provide a moisture-proof protective covering which is very simple to apply and remove with a minimum amount of instruction, and which is relatively inexpensive.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown.

In its preferred form, the protective covering is made from a thin sheet of flexible material and includes a body portion having a plurality of tie elements extending laterally from each side thereof and adapted to be tied together over the top of a patients foot. A tongue portion is provided at the forward end of the body portion and contains a pair of spaced tie members at the free end thereof which are adapted to be tied together around the ankle of the user. A cuff portion is provided at the other end of th body portion and contains a laterally extending tie member at each side thereof which are adapted to be tied together around the patients ankle. This tying together of the various tie elements completely encloses the patients foot.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a protective covering constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the cover- Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the covering showing the tongue portion folded over the top of a patients foot as the first step in applyin the covering; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the covering applied to a patients foot.

Referring to the drawing more particularly by reference numerals, l0 indicates generally a novel moisture-proof protective covering embodying the teachings of the present invention, and made from a thin sheet of flexible plastic material which is not acted on by chemicals, of which polyethylene is an example.

The covering includes a body portion l2, a tongue portion I4, and a cult portion [6.

The body portion I2 is roughly rectangular in shape and has opposed side edges l8 and 20. A plurality of fingerlike tie elements 22 extend laterally from the side edge [8, and a plurality of companion tie elements 24 extend laterally from the other side edge 20, the tie elements on opposite sides being in alignment, for a purpose to appear.

The tongue portion I4 extends forwardly of the body portion I2 and contains side edges 25 and 26, and two forwardly extending finger-like tie elements 21 and 28 which are spaced apart a predetermined distance so that each can be passed to one side of a patients ankle.

The cuff portion It extends rearwardly of the body portion 12 and contains tie elements 30 and 32 which extend laterally from opposite side edges thereof. These tie elements 30 and 32 are in alignment so that their ends can be tied together about the patients ankle.

In use, the protective covering Ill is laid out flat, as shown in Fig. 1, and the affected member, be it a foot or a hand, is placed on the body portion I2 with the toes or fingers pointing toward the tongue portion l4, Assuming that the affected member is a foot, the back of the heel is placed on an imaginary dividing line between the body portion l2 and the cuff portion l6. If the affected member is a hand, it is placed on the body portion l 2 of the covering with the heel portion of the hand adjacent the wrist disposed on the imaginary line between the body portion and the cuff portion.

The covering I0 is made in various lengths to accommodate various foot sizes so that when a foot is placed thereon in the manner indicated above, the toes will extend a short distance forwardly of the forwardmost tie elements 22 and 24.

The tongue portion 14 is then pulled upwardly and rearwardly over the toes and instep of the foot, as shown in Fig. 3, and the tie elements 21 and 28 brought around the patients ankle on each side thereof and tied together at the back of the ankle. The length of the tongue portion 14 is such that the curved part between the tie elements 2! and 28 contacts the front of the patients ankle.

The side edges I8 and 20 of the body portion l2 are then brought upwardly on each side of the foot and the aligned tie elements 22 and 24 tied together across the top of the foot, starting with the forwardmost set and progressing rearwardly. The body portion 12 and the tongue portion [4 are considerably wider than the foot so that when the side edges [8 and 20 of the body portion and the side edges 25 and 26 of the tongue portion are brought upwardly about the sides of the foot, they form a sort of container for it having side walls of double thickness.

After all of the tie elements 22 and 2 1 have been tied across the top of the foot, the cuiT portion 16 is brought upwardly against the back of the heeLand the free ends of the tie elements 30 and 32 brought around the ankle, one on each side, and tied together at the front of the ankle. The width of the cuff portion 16 is such that it extends at least half-way around the ankle so as to overlap the rearward Part of the upturned body portion.

It is to be understood that the sequence of tying together the various tie elements could be varied, and that the covering can be applied to a hand in substantially the same manner, with like results.

Thus, it is apparent that there has been provided a novel protective covering for a foot or hand which fulfills all of the objects and advantages sought therefor. The covering I0 completely encloses the affected member and prevents the bandages or medicaments applied to the member from coming into contact with clothes, bedding, etc. Also, the covering is simple to apply and remove and is readily washed in mild soap suds or wiped clean with an alcohol sponge.

It is to be understood that the foregoing description and the accompanying drawing have been given only by way of illustration and example, and that changes and alterations in the present disclosure which will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art are contemplated as within the scope of the present invention which is limited only by the claims which follow.

What is claimed is:

1. A protective covering for a persons foot, comprising a sheet of flexible, washable material containing a body portion of roughlyrectangular shape having opposed side edges and of a length corresponding to the length of the foot; adjustable means at the side edges for fastening them together comprising laterally extending tie members; a, tongue portion at one end of the body portion; a cuff portion at the other end of the body portion and having opposed side edges; and

'4 adjustable means comprising laterally extending tie members at the side edges of the cuff portion for fastening them together.

2. A protective covering of the character described, comprising a sheet of flexible, washable material containing a body portion of roughly rectangular shape conforming to the length of a persons foot and having opposed side edges; a plurality of finger-like elements extending laterally from each side edge; a longitudinally extending tongue portion at one end of the body portion being of a length suificient to be drawn back over the foot at its free end adjacent to the ankle when the body portion is placed under the persons foot; said tongue portion being bifurcated at its free end so as to provide tie members; a cuff portion at the other end of the body portion having opposed side edges and being of a length sufficient to cover a persons heel; and a fingerlike tie element extending along each side edge of the cufl portion.

3.'A protective covering of the character described, comprising a sheet of flexible, washable material containing a body portion of roughly rectangular shape conforming to the length of a persons foot and having opposed side edges; a plurality of finger-like elements extending laterally from each side edge; a longitudinally extending tongue portion at one end of the body portion being of a length sufficient to be drawn back over the foot at its free end adjacent to the ankle when the body portion is placed under the persons foot; a cuif portion at the other end of the body portion having opposed side edges and being of a length sufficient to cover a persons heel; and a finger-like tie element extending along each side edge of the cuff portion.

4. A protective covering for a persons foot, comprising a sheet of flexible, washable material containing a body portion of roughly rectangular shape having opposed side edges and of a length corresponding to the length of the foot; a plurality of finger-like tie elements extending laterally from each side edge; a longitudinally extending tongue portion at one end of the body portion being of a total length greater than the length of said body portion and being of a length up to its free end of less than the length of the body portion but sufiicient to be drawn back over the foot at its free end adjacent to the ankle when the body portion is placed under the persons foot, the tongue portion including a pair of spaced longitudinally extending tie members at its free end; a cuif portion at the other end of the body portion and having opposed side edges; and a finger-like tie element extending laterally from each side edge of the cuff portion.

JOYCE J. HILTON.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,564,874 Madder Dec. 8, 1925 1,748,607 Jarrett Feb. 25, 1930 1,773,127 Auster Aug. 19, 1930 1,788,852 Arthur Jan. 13, 1931 2,407,735 Beckerman Sept. 17, 1946 2,444,822 Grifiin July 6, 1948 2,513,005 Crawford June 27, 1950 

